What I Own: We bought the worst house on the street for £325,000 and transformed it beyond recognition --[Reported by Umva mag]

Welcome back to What I Own – Metro’s property series where we speak to homeowners about getting on the ladder.

Last week, we visited Natalie Brown and her family at their three-bedroom house in Shoreham-by-Sea.

Having previously been cramped into a two-bedroom flat in Hove, East Sussex with their four children, she and her husband Rob decided to upsize – and now can’t imagine themselves ever living anywhere else.

This week, we’re back by the seaside in Devon, having a poke around Emily Hadley and her husband Kevin’s five-bedroom home.

The couple stuck to the mantra of ‘buying the worst house on the best street,’ transforming it beyond recognition since they moved in in 2015 with bright colours, wall prints, and quirky furnishings galore.

Here’s what Emily had to say about their property journey…

Tell us about yourself!

I’m a primary school teacher turned art gallery founder. The art gallery is predominantly online but also in my home. I am married to Kevin (a teacher and artist), and we have two teenage children and a cavapoo (a cross between a cavalier King Charles spaniel and a poodle).

Whereabouts is your property? What do you think of the area?

We are in Preston, Paignton, in Torbay, Devon. The house is a 10-minute walk to our closest beach in one direction and a five-minute walk to woods and a country park in the other.

Torbay (which is made up of three towns, Torquay, Paignton and Brixham) is classed as a deprived area and quite run down in places, but we like how rough around the edges it is.

More affluent towns like Totnes and Dartmouth are around only a 15-20 minute drive away. We would like more culture and diversity here but love being by the sea and how easy it is to get to the nearest city (which is Exeter) then up the motorway to Bristol and beyond. The schools around here are also good, which is one of the reasons we chose to bring our children up in the area.

When did you move in?

August 2015.

How much did your property cost?

£325,000.

How much was your deposit?

£100,000.

What is the monthly cost of living here now; both mortgage and bills?

£2,500.

How did you save up for your deposit?

This was our third property. We started with a £10,000 deposit for our first home in 2005 which was made up of a small inheritance and savings. We have renovated each of our homes to add value and bolster our equity.

What was the process of getting a mortgage like for you? Did you find any parts challenging?

We were both teachers, and this is looked upon favourably. However, when we remortgaged recently, we were unable to include my salary as I was on a fixed-term contract, which could not be counted. This meant we had to stay with our existing mortgage provider, who thankfully had competitive rates.

Can you share details on your mortgage (rate/term)?

We’re currently on a two-year tracker. The term is 30 years!

Where did you live before this – were you renting or living with family?

We owned and lived in a 1930s semi-detached house just up the road from where we are now.

What made you want to buy rather than rent?

We had seen from our parents that buying property is the most prudent way to invest, and were keen to buy somewhere to make it our own.

How did you find this property? What made you choose it?

My sister agreed to buy our previous home, so I was looking online regularly and had set up searches on numerous online property sites.

After walking past this house for years on the school run, I jumped at the chance to look around it when I was notified it had gone on the market.

We were the second through the door to view it, and having seen many other properties that weren’t right for one reason or another, we knew straight away that this had real potential and could be a beautiful family home.

How have you made the property feel like home? What’s the inspiration for your interior decor style?

The property was a partial repossession and needed a lot of work! We have replaced all four bathrooms and the kitchen including creating a utility room and a pantry out of a previously unused space.

We installed a wood burner, reconfigured parts of the upstairs space and landscaped the garden. We have also stripped the floorboards and redecorated the entire house.

What’s your favourite room and why?

My favourite room is the playroom which we now use as a gallery space! It has a beautiful original fireplace and bespoke cabinetry that we designed and built ourselves, plus it’s full of special things and lots of art.

Do you feel like you have enough space?

We probably have too much! It is a large five-bedroom property and we’re a family of four.

Having said that, I could do with more storage for the paintings I showcase as part of my art business and my husband is a painter and would like a purpose-built studio to work in.

Do you have plans to change the property?

We may redecorate a few areas soon, especially our study, which has become a dumping ground and needs some more built-in storage.

Are there any problems with the property that you have to deal with?

Not really, it is an old property (late Edwardian) so we have some issues with the chimney stacks causing some dampness.

What do you want people to know about buying a home?

Buy the worst house on the best street and always look to add value in some way!

What are your plans for the future, in terms of housing? Do you plan to stay here long-term?

Our youngest child has two years left in sixth form and we are looking at downsizing and potentially moving to a different location after that.

We would like to cut down our mortgage payments and live more comfortably. The only striking point is that I run my business from the house!

Shall we take a look around?

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

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